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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. track — a path
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. perch — the fish
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kid — child
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cue — for pool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. track — to keep track
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cue — a hint
  23. kid — to tease
  24. track — a song

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