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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spring — the season
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pass — a permit
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. prune — to trim

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