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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bulb — for light
  10. present — the time now
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pop — soda
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. present — there
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pop — music
  18. court — of law
  19. present — a gift
  20. court — for sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. court — of a king
  24. bat — in an idiom

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