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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 that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mug — a cup
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tear — from crying
  8. row — to paddle
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — money
  14. rush — hurry
  15. capital — a city
  16. tear — to rip
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. squash — the sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a line
  23. mug — to rob
  24. tear — from crying

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