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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: kid · pop · coach · cell · cap · current · date · bass

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. current — of water
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pop — soda
  11. bass — low music
  12. kid — child
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bass — the fish
  15. current — electric
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pop — to visit
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pop — music
  20. cell — a phone
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. current — happening now
  23. cap — a lid
  24. date — on the calendar

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