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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.

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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: bat · cap · present · coach · cabinet · season · row · trunk

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. season — in sport
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. season — of the year
  8. present — there
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. present — a gift
  13. cap — of ice
  14. present — the time now
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. row — a line
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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