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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 · march · cold · sharp · cue · coach · fan · hide

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cue — for pool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — the month
  15. cold — not warm
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. march — music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cue — a hint
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cap — a hat

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