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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: mug · cap · bat · sharp · coach · face · mate · chip

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mug — a face
  9. sharp — clever
  10. face — to point toward
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chip — for betting
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — a cup
  16. face — to confront
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chip — to eat
  20. face — part of the head
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bat — the animal

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