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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: current · coach · object · mine · fan · dip · pitcher · cold

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cold — not warm
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. object — a thing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. object — an aim
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. object — to protest
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — of water
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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