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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · coach · cold · cue · sharp · wound · root · row

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. root — of a plant
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cue — a hint
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. root — the cause
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cue — for pool
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. root — of a word
  17. row — a line
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cold — an illness
  24. sharp — with an edge

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