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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ball — a dance
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stem — to come from
  9. swing — music
  10. track — a path
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bark — to shout
  16. swing — to play on
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. track — a song
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ruler — for measuring

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