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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rush — hurry
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mug — a face
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. toast — bread
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rash — a series
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rash — on the skin

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