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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 · cabinet · coach · arm · object · mug · rock · straw

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. object — an aim
  9. mug — a face
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. object — to protest
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rock — music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rock — a stone
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mug — to rob
  21. object — a thing
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mug — a cup
  24. straw — dry grass

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