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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mug — a cup
  5. squash — to crush
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bound — certain
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bound — obliged
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mug — a face
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — in music
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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