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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · coach · racket · clip · sharp · can · rest · bulb

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bulb — for light
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. can — a tin
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rest — what's left
  8. can — to be able to
  9. clip — a video
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. date — the fruit
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — to cut
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rest — a break
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. clip — for paper

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