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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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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: rule · pound · mug · dip · capital · coach · firm · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rule — a law
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. dip — to sink
  8. capital — a city
  9. rule — government
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mug — a cup
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. capital — money
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mug — a face
  24. cold — not warm

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