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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mug — a cup
  5. can — a tin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mug — to rob
  8. dip — to sink
  9. staff — employees
  10. can — a tin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. cold — not warm
  14. staff — a stick
  15. object — a thing
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. can — to be able to
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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