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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 · dip · mouse · wind · calf · hand · sharp · march

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — in cards
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — music
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hand — help
  21. dip — to sink
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. march — the month

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