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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: coach · cap · cabinet · suit · face · snap · stick · chip

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. face — to confront
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cap — a lid
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chip — to eat
  15. snap — to click
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. suit — clothes
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. suit — to fit
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chip — for betting

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