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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mug — a face
  8. capital — a city
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cap — a lid
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. capital — money
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — a series
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. snap — to click
  23. cap — of ice
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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