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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. kid — child
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. craft — a skill
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. sharp — clever
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pass — a permit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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