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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bank — of a river
  6. sharp — clever
  7. face — to point toward
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. court — of law
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bank — for money
  13. bore — to tire
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bore — to drill
  16. game — a match
  17. court — of a king
  18. face — to confront
  19. root — of a word
  20. bank — for money
  21. court — for sport
  22. root — the cause
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. face — part of the head

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