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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · hide · shower · cap · face · roll · coach · mark

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mark — a grade
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cap — a lid
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cap — of ice
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. shower — rain
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. face — to confront
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mark — a trace
  24. face — to point toward

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