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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chip — for betting
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mug — a face
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. capital — money
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. capital — a city

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