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

Word bank: mate · pass · object · cold · coach · toast · kick · sharp

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pass — a permit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. kick — in football
  15. object — to protest
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. object — an aim
  19. sharp — clever
  20. object — a thing
  21. cold — an illness
  22. toast — bread
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cold — the Cold War

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