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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 116 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: sharp · fall · rest · wind · coach · dip · pop · ball

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pop — to visit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fall — to drop
  5. dip — to sink
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wind — moving air
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pop — music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fall — the season
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — soda
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rest — a break

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