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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cap — a lid
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. press — a publisher
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. press — newspapers
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cap — of ice
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a ring
  13. mug — a face
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mug — to rob
  17. band — a music group
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mug — a cup
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stand — to bear
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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