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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · rash · sharp · pitcher · season · cue · track · wind

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wind — moving air
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — in sport
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. track — a path
  15. cue — for pool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cue — a signal
  19. track — a song
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. season — of the year
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. sharp — clever

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