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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — a gift
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. sharp — clever
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mark — a grade
  18. present — there
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mark — a trace
  21. spring — the season
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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