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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — a city
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mug — a cup
  11. capital — money
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mug — a face
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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