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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kid — child
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rash — a series
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mouse — the animal

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