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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cap — a lid
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kid — child
  22. stand — to bear
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. nail — for a hammer

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