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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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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: rest · cap · object · fork · fine · coach · fall · hide

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. object — a thing
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. object — an aim
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cap — a hat
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fall — the season
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — to keep secret

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