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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mug — a cup
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. bear — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mug — a face
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spring — a coil
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. spring — the season
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — of water
  23. fall — the season
  24. mug — to rob

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