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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. kid — to tease
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a document
  6. present — a gift
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. present — there
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. file — a line of people
  18. net — in sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. kid — child
  21. stand — to bear
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. lash — an eyelash

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