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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. swing — in golf
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. face — to point toward
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wound — an injury
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ground — a position
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — an injury
  13. swing — music
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. face — part of the head
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. sharp — clever
  19. face — to confront
  20. ground — crushed
  21. vault — a safe
  22. ground — the earth
  23. row — a line
  24. coach — a trainer

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