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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. plane — a tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. drill — a practice
  9. swing — to play on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. swing — music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. drill — the tool
  20. track — a song
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chair — a leader
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. swing — in golf

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