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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. present — there
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pit — a hole
  8. shower — rain
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pound — a weight
  12. snap — to click
  13. present — the time now
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. present — a gift
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — in a race
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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