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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pit — a hole
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. kid — child
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cap — of ice
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tube — a container
  15. spring — of water
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cap — a hat
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cap — a lid
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bear — the animal

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