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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: deal · cell · squash · chair · kid · bear · coach · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cell — in biology
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mug — a cup
  13. squash — the sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. kid — to tease
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mug — a face
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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