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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. club — a group
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. net — in sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. press — to push
  12. sharp — clever
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. net — after costs
  16. scale — size or range
  17. press — a publisher
  18. scale — in music
  19. club — for dancing
  20. net — for catching
  21. club — for golf
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. press — newspapers
  24. drill — the tool

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