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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
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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: sharp · pop · coach · fan · fine · kick · cold · rule

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pop — to visit
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cold — not warm
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cold — an illness
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pop — soda
  16. fine — all right
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rule — government
  20. pop — music
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rule — a law
  24. fan — a supporter

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