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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: rock · fork · sharp · firm · fine · bat · spring · coach

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fine — all right
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spring — a coil
  9. sharp — clever
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. bat — the animal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spring — the season
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spring — of water
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rock — music
  23. firm — a company
  24. bat — in an idiom

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