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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tear — from crying
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. dip — to sink
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mate — a partner
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — clever
  23. last — to go on
  24. coach — a trainer

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