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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 met the new head ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rash — a series
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kick — in football
  14. snap — to click
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bowl — a football final

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