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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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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: kid · cold · coach · root · pass · scale · last · cell

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. root — of a word
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — finally
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pass — a permit
  13. root — of a plant
  14. scale — in music
  15. last — final
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cold — not warm
  19. kid — child
  20. last — to go on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. root — the cause

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