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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 124 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cue — a signal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. firm — steady
  14. squash — to crush
  15. roll — a list
  16. firm — decided
  17. wound — an injury
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. squash — the sport
  23. date — the fruit
  24. roll — on a roll

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