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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. degree — temperature
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mug — a cup
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. degree — an amount
  10. capital — money
  11. mug — a face
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. squash — the sport
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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