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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: cap · perch · coach · swing · cue · key · face · sharp

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cap — of ice
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. key — for a lock
  6. swing — music
  7. cue — a hint
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. swing — to play on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cue — for pool
  13. face — to point toward
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cap — a lid
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. perch — the fish
  19. sharp — clever
  20. face — to confront
  21. cue — a signal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. key — in music
  24. coach — a trainer

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