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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — a grade
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fine — high quality
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. fine — all right
  13. mark — a trace
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bank — for money
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bank — of a river
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bank — for money

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