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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.

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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 · last · fork · pass · arm · sharp · bear · row

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. last — finally
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. last — to go on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. row — a line
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fork — in a road
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pass — a permit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. last — final

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