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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: toast · temple · wound · board · coach · cold · cell · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. board — a committee
  10. toast — bread
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cell — in biology
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wound — an injury
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cold — an illness
  24. board — to get on

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