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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. face — to confront
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spell — a short time
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. ground — crushed
  11. shower — rain
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. ground — a position
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wake — a trail
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ground — the earth
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. sharp — clever
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wake — before a funeral

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