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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rock — music
  5. pass — a permit
  6. chip — for betting
  7. land — ground
  8. chip — to eat
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. land — a country
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. land — to come down
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mug — a face
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pass — to spend time

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