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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · face · spring · jam · straw · coach · ground · sharp

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. face — to point toward
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — clever
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ground — a position
  16. face — to confront
  17. spring — the season
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. ground — crushed
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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