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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — a leader
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mug — a face
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cell — in biology
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. current — happening now
  24. cell — a phone

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