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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. snap — to click
  4. rush — hurry
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. capital — a city
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — clever
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — a break
  24. capital — money

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