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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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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: pit · temple · foot · stand · last · coach · cap · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cap — of ice
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pit — a hole
  6. last — to go on
  7. foot — a measure
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. last — finally
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. last — final
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cue — for pool
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cap — a hat
  24. foot — part of the body

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