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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: face · file · content · swing · date · coach · cap · fan

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cap — a hat
  10. face — part of the head
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. face — to confront
  13. file — a tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. date — the fruit
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. face — to point toward
  24. content — the amount

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