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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: wound · wake · coach · band · pit · chair · net · toast

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. band — a ring
  7. wound — an injury
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. net — in sport
  10. wake — a trail
  11. net — for catching
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. toast — bread
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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