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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 116 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. band — a ring
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cap — a lid
  5. charge — in control
  6. wind — moving air
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mug — a face
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mug — a cup
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. charge — a price
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — help
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mug — to rob
  22. hand — in cards
  23. band — a music group
  24. chair — to sit on

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