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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: shower · pitcher · coach · roll · mark · chair · foot · band

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. roll — a list
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — rain
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. foot — a measure
  15. band — a ring
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. band — a music group
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chair — a leader
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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