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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: racket · sharp · bark · fine · pass · face · track · coach

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — clever
  7. face — to point toward
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bark — to shout
  15. face — part of the head
  16. track — a song
  17. fine — all right
  18. pass — a permit
  19. face — to confront
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. racket — a loud noise

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