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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rock — music
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. drill — army training
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rock — a stone
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cap — a hat
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stand — for spectators

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