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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: kid · cap · stick · leaves · mine · object · coach · chair

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. object — a thing
  3. cap — a hat
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cap — of ice
  9. object — an aim
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. object — to protest
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. kid — child
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — a lid

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