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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — a contest
  6. dip — to sink
  7. race — humankind
  8. mug — a face
  9. race — the arms race
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. clip — a video
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. key — for a lock
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. coach — a trainer

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