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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: land · present · coach · snap · fork · pop · sharp · fine

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. fine — all right
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. land — to come down
  10. snap — to click
  11. present — the time now
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. land — a country
  18. pop — to visit
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. land — ground
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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