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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. firm — steady
  3. cap — of ice
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cap — a hat
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. firm — decided
  11. band — a music group
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mate — a partner
  14. firm — a company
  15. roll — a cake
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mate — to breed
  19. row — a line
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. chest — a box
  23. band — a ring
  24. roll — a list

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