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

Word bank: coach · spell · dip · snap · hide · cabinet · cold · bay

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cold — not warm
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — magic
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cold — an illness
  20. snap — to click
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spell — letters
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cabinet — ministers

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