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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: pound · game · cue · coach · nail · sharp · present · row

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. game — wild animals
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. present — the time now
  13. cue — a signal
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. row — to paddle
  17. present — a gift
  18. cue — for pool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. sharp — clever
  21. row — a line
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. nail — for a hammer

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