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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: board · dip · straw · sharp · can · scale · fork · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. can — a tin
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. scale — size or range
  13. board — a committee
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. scale — in music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fork — in a road
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. straw — a straw man

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