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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chest — a box
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chest — of your body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hand — help
  21. file — a document
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. file — a tool
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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