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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bank — for money
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bank — for money
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bank — of a river
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kick — in football
  23. chair — a leader
  24. squash — to crush

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