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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: date · court · sharp · wound · current · coach · face · cue

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cue — a signal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. current — of water
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — of law
  8. cue — a hint
  9. court — for sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. current — electric
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. court — of a king
  16. face — to confront
  17. cue — for pool
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. date — on the calendar

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