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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. last — final
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. last — finally
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. last — to go on
  9. stock — shares
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stock — goods
  12. dip — to sink
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ground — a position
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ground — crushed

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