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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. march — music
  5. last — finally
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. last — final
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. march — the month
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cue — a hint
  14. lean — thin
  15. sharp — clever
  16. kick — in football
  17. cue — a signal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lean — to bend
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — to go on
  23. march — the month
  24. kick — with a 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