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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. staff — a stick
  3. foot — a measure
  4. present — a gift
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — finally
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — clever
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. staff — employees
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. last — to go on
  23. present — the time now
  24. last — final

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