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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: rock · bark · pit · coach · club · kid · jam · sharp

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pit — in a race
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bark — to shout
  10. club — for golf
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — child
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rock — music
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — exactly

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