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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 120 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mark — a grade
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. last — final
  7. sharp — clever
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mark — a trace
  17. last — to go on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tear — from crying
  24. calf — of the leg

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