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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. date — the fruit
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. sharp — clever
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. swing — music
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. swing — in golf
  18. toast — bread
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bark — to shout
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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