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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: pitcher · chair · shower · bat · coach · plane · press · fine

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. press — newspapers
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fine — high quality
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fine — all right
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. press — to push
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chair — a professorship

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