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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. row — to paddle
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. row — a line
  8. rock — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rock — a stone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. field — a subject
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. field — for sport
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. field — farmland
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lean — thin
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rock — to move gently

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