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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cue — a signal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. content — happy
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. dip — to sink
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cue — for pool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. content — the amount

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