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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: clip · chest · roll · stand · mate · lie · cap · coach

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chest — of your body
  4. clip — for paper
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. roll — a list
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — a box
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stand — to bear
  18. clip — a video
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chest — of your body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stand — for spectators

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