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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 116 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — part of the head
  5. present — there
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. present — a gift
  9. cap — a lid
  10. face — to confront
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. present — the time now
  13. face — to point toward
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cap — a hat

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