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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 120 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: cap · file · lean · fall · staff · mouse · coach · bat

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. fall — to drop
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. file — a tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lean — thin
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mouse — for a computer

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