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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cap — of ice
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chest — of your body
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mark — a trace
  11. field — farmland
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chest — a box
  22. field — for sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — a subject

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