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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: game · rock · cabinet · coach · snap · rush · cap · face

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. game — wild animals
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. face — to confront
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cap — a lid
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rock — music
  24. game — a kind of play

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