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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. swing — in golf
  3. scale — in music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. squash — to crush
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. swing — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mug — to rob
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mug — a face
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — a cup
  19. squash — the sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — a committee
  24. scale — size or range

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