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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rock — a stone
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rock — music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. march — music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — help
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wake — a trail
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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