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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bank — for money
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bank — for money
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tube — a container
  19. bank — of a river
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. court — of a king
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mouse — for a computer

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