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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: bat · chair · calf · press · charge · stand · coach · kid

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. press — to push
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. press — newspapers
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bat — the animal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. charge — electricity
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kid — child
  19. charge — in control
  20. stand — to bear
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. kid — to tease
  24. charge — a price

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