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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mine — for digging
  8. toast — bread
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cap — of ice
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cap — a hat
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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