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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mug — to rob
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mug — a face
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wake — a trail

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