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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · tube · net · fine · squash · stick · chair · coach

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. net — after costs
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. net — in sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. chair — a leader
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tube — the underground
  22. net — for catching
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chair — a professorship

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