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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bat — the animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cap — of ice
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. dip — to sink
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. dip — to dunk

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