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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lean — thin
  5. field — a subject
  6. key — the most important part
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wound — an injury
  9. field — farmland
  10. charge — in control
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. key — in music
  15. lean — to bend
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. charge — a price
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — clever
  22. key — for a lock
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. field — for sport

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