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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · fan · cold · dip · coach · pass · drill · mate

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. drill — army training
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mate — a partner
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — a box
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mate — to breed
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — to sink

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