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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: rash · nail · cue · row · mug · present · cold · coach

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. present — there
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mug — to rob
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cue — for pool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. present — the time now
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cold — not warm
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mug — a face
  19. row — a line
  20. present — a gift
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. row — to paddle
  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