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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cap — a hat
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cap — a lid
  13. roll — a list
  14. cap — of ice
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pit — a hole
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. game — a match
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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