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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 · root · chest · plane · pitch · cold · rock · coach

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. cold — not warm
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rock — music
  8. chest — a box
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rock — a stone
  11. root — the cause
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cold — an illness
  23. root — of a word
  24. chest — of your 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