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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. swing — music
  7. last — to go on
  8. mug — a face
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. present — there
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mug — to rob
  13. present — the time now
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. court — of law
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. court — for sport
  20. sharp — clever
  21. swing — in golf
  22. court — of a king
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mug — a cup

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