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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 124 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. chip — for betting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spell — magic
  6. track — a path
  7. scale — in music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. track — to keep track
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. scale — size or range
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. track — a song
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spell — letters
  22. kick — in football
  23. spell — a short time
  24. race — a contest

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