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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.

Make a worksheet

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: club · arm · cold · last · date · sharp · mark · coach

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. club — for golf
  6. date — the fruit
  7. last — final
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. club — a group
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cold — an illness
  20. sharp — clever
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mark — a trace
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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