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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — in cards
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wake — a trail
  14. drill — the tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. drill — army training
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mine — for digging
  20. suit — clothes
  21. kid — child
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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