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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: coach · chip · hide · track · wave · file · sharp · band

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. track — to keep track
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. file — a line of people
  9. band — a music group
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. track — a song
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. file — a document
  16. band — a ring
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. file — a tool
  22. track — a path
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. coach — a trainer

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