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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: season · rest · wound · file · cue · cap · mouse · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cue — a signal
  5. file — a tool
  6. cap — a lid
  7. season — of the year
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cue — a hint
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — for pool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rest — a break
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rest — what's left

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