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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pit — a hole
  7. plane — a tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pit — in a race
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. shower — rain
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — with an edge

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