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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. net — in sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — to rob
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hand — help
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. hand — in cards
  21. track — a song
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — a cup

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