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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: cell · sharp · kid · coach · game · bound · calf · stock

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. game — a match
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. sharp — clever
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cell — in biology
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stock — goods
  15. bound — certain
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stock — shares
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. calf — a young animal
  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