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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 120 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: mark · ruler · hand · saw · sharp · bound · pitcher · coach

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bound — certain
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. sharp — clever
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mark — a trace
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bound — tied together

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