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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: mate · content · coach · squash · kid · dip · mug · bowl

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mug — a face
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mug — a cup
  12. content — happy
  13. mug — to rob
  14. squash — the sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. content — the amount
  24. bowl — to roll

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