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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: coach · lie · safe · stand · court · clip · chest · press

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stand — to bear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. press — a publisher
  13. court — of a king
  14. chest — of your body
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chest — of your body
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. press — to push
  24. chest — a box

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