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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: cap · coach · march · cold · mouse · saw · nail · mug

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cold — not warm
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. march — music
  9. cap — of ice
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — the month
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cap — a hat
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mug — a face
  23. mouse — the animal
  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