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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 116 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: sharp · pit · row · rash · present · clip · coach · saw

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rash — a series
  4. clip — for paper
  5. present — there
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. present — a gift
  8. saw — the tool
  9. row — a line
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pit — in a race
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. present — the time now
  19. clip — a video
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pit — a hole
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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