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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — clever
  3. last — final
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. shower — rain
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hand — in cards
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — finally
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. can — a tin
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mate — a friend
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mate — a partner
  24. last — to go on

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