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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — certain
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wind — moving air
  5. foot — a measure
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bound — obliged
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bound — tied together
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rest — a break
  18. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com