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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cold — not warm
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. prune — to trim
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mug — a face
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. band — a ring
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. band — a music group
  24. mug — to rob

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