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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — clever
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. fine — all right

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