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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
468
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: game · saw · sharp · ball · face · bark · coach · cabinet

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. game — wild animals
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. face — to point toward
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a match
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. face — to confront
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bark — to shout
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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