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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. drill — a practice
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. drill — army training
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. drill — the tool
  11. dip — to sink
  12. can — to be able to
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mate — a friend
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. can — a tin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mate — to breed

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