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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. capital — money
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. capital — a city
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. chair — a leader
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. coach — a trainer

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