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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · squash · coach · band · lean · hide · cold · mug

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. band — a music group
  8. mug — to rob
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cold — an illness
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chair — a leader
  15. band — a ring
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cold — not warm
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mug — a cup
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mug — a face
  24. hide — animal skin

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