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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rash — hasty
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rash — a series
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fine — high quality
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. staff — employees
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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