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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 · cold · hand · saw · charge · staff · coach · ruler

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cold — not warm
  11. charge — a price
  12. hand — help
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. staff — employees
  16. cap — of ice
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cap — a lid
  24. staff — a stick

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