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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 120 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: coach · track · fan · saw · content · last · sharp · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — final
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. track — a path
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. last — to go on
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. track — a song
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pit — a hole
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. content — the amount
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. content — happy
  24. last — finally

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