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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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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: mug · band · chip · lean · cabinet · pitch · coach · lie

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. band — a music group
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — thin
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mug — to rob
  10. chip — for betting
  11. band — a ring
  12. mug — a face
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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