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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 quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rock — a stone
  10. game — wild animals
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spring — the season
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. spring — of water
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rock — music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. game — a match
  23. scale — in music
  24. track — a path

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