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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · mug · ruler · spell · rush · stock · cold · file

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cold — not warm
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. file — a tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. mug — a face
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mug — to rob
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stock — goods
  16. file — a document
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. spell — letters
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mug — a cup
  24. file — a line of people

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