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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cap — of ice
  8. kid — child
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bass — low music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fork — in a road
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bass — the fish
  24. fork — to eat with

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