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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. saw — the tool
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. saw — the tool
  21. clip — to cut
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bark — to shout

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