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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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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fine — all right
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pass — a permit
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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