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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: dip · cabinet · charge · coach · drill · craft · cold · deal

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. craft — a skill
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cold — not warm
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. charge — electricity
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. charge — in control
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. deal — to handle
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. drill — the tool
  22. charge — a price
  23. drill — army training
  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