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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.

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: cabinet · mark · stock · face · cold · coach · wound · kid

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stock — goods
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cold — an illness
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stock — shares
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. face — part of the head
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — a trace
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. kid — child

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