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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: squash · pitcher · arm · pass · wind · date · coach · sharp

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. squash — to crush
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pass — a permit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — clever
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. date — the fruit
  24. sharp — exactly

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