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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · cold · racket · mouse · drill · coach · row · can

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. drill — army training
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. drill — a practice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cold — an illness
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. can — to be able to
  17. dip — to sink
  18. row — a line
  19. cold — not warm
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — a tin
  24. cold — the Cold War

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