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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.

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: present · coach · file · cap · staff · mouse · nail · field

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. file — a tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — a subject
  10. staff — employees
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — for sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cap — of ice
  20. present — a gift
  21. staff — a stick
  22. field — farmland
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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