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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: cue · chair · present · band · hide · coach · bulb · race

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a ring
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. race — humankind
  9. chair — a leader
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. race — a contest
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. cue — a signal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a music group
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. present — a gift
  24. bulb — of a plant

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