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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 · sharp · rest · scale · safe · press · board · last

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. last — final
  3. scale — size or range
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. sharp — clever
  8. board — to get on
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — finally
  12. rest — a break
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — a committee
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. press — a publisher
  20. last — to go on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. press — to push
  24. scale — in music

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