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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: pop · jam · trunk · arm · fine · coach · sharp · season

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — soda
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. season — in sport
  15. fine — all right
  16. pop — to visit
  17. season — of the year
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pop — music
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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