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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: coach · ruler · foot · fall · net · jam · rock · cold

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — not warm
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fall — to drop
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. net — for catching
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fall — the season
  14. net — after costs
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. net — in sport
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — an illness

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