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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: straw · hide · coach · stick · firm · cap · chair · game

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cap — of ice
  13. firm — a company
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — a match
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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