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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: fork · coach · saw · hand · cap · cell · hide · snap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cell — in biology
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. hand — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — help
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cell — a phone
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. snap — to click
  24. fork — a garden tool

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