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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 124 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — child
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. net — after costs
  14. track — to keep track
  15. kid — to tease
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. net — for catching
  21. mark — a grade
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. net — in sport

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