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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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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: toast · pit · mug · rest · dip · coach · kid · spring

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pit — a hole
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. spring — a coil
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rest — what's left
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mug — a face
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. kid — child
  17. spring — of water
  18. pit — in a race
  19. spring — the season
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. dip — to sink

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