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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. march — music
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cap — a lid
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chest — a box
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. kid — child
  24. bay — a horse colour

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