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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: straw · cold · coach · sharp · cap · ruler · arm · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cold — not warm
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cold — an illness
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. ruler — a monarch

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