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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · coach · snap · trunk · game · track · file · arm

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. cap — a hat
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. snap — to click
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — a lid
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — a match
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. track — a song
  15. file — a tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. track — to keep track
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. track — a path
  22. file — a document
  23. trunk — of a car
  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