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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cap — a hat
  3. can — a tin
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. court — of a king
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — a tin
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. can — to be able to
  13. squash — the sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wind — moving air
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. squash — to crush
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. court — of law
  23. branch — a division
  24. coach — a trainer

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