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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. land — ground
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — to come down
  8. snap — to click
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bulb — for light
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lean — thin
  18. hand — help
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lean — to bend
  21. hand — in cards
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. land — a country

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