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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — clever
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bore — to tire
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mate — to breed
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mate — a partner
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bore — to drill
  17. foot — a measure
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. root — of a word
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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