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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.

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: chair · land · bowl · wave · cabinet · bore · bat · coach

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. land — ground
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — the animal
  16. land — a country
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — to come down
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bore — gave birth
  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