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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. club — a group
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. prune — to trim
  11. sharp — clever
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. club — for dancing
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. prune — to trim
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. snap — to click
  24. club — for golf

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