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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. swing — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. squash — to crush
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the sport
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. sharp — exactly

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