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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.

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: fine · chair · cold · ball · date · rock · coach · clip

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cold — not warm
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. clip — a video
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rock — music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fine — all right
  20. chair — a leader
  21. clip — for paper
  22. date — the fruit
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ball — a great time

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