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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: racket · cap · bear · coach · kid · date · track · saw

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. kid — child
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. kid — to tease
  12. date — the fruit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — of ice
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bear — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. track — a song
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. track — a path
  21. bear — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. racket — for tennis

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