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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: stand · court · mug · cold · board · tear · coach · press

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. board — a committee
  5. tear — from crying
  6. board — to get on
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mug — a face
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mug — to rob
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of law
  16. press — newspapers
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cold — an illness
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. mug — a cup
  22. tear — to rip
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stand — for spectators

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