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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 120 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. present — a gift
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fall — the season
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fall — to drop
  17. present — there
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. present — the time now
  22. cold — an illness
  23. march — music
  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