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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. sharp — clever
  9. game — a match
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mark — a grade
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — a trace
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cap — of ice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — a hat

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