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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — magic
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stand — to bear
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. spring — the season
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. spell — letters
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. spring — of water

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