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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cold — an illness
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. sharp — clever
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bark — to shout
  10. mug — a cup
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cold — not warm
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. safe — out of danger

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