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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rest — what's left
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. face — to point toward
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. face — part of the head
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. face — to confront
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rest — a break
  19. rash — a series
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pass — a permit
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. coach — a trainer

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