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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: mine · coach · chair · mouse · roll · cue · object · pop

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pop — soda
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cue — a hint
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. object — to protest
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pop — music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. roll — a list
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pop — to visit
  20. roll — a cake
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. object — an aim
  23. cue — a signal
  24. object — a thing

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