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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: row · mug · stand · sharp · coach · bat · wind · net

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. row — a line
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stand — to bear
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — a face
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. row — a quarrel

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