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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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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: firm · chair · land · trunk · kid · coach · fall · mark

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. fall — to drop
  3. firm — decided
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. firm — steady
  6. kid — child
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. land — a country
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — to come down
  14. mark — a grade
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. land — ground
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fall — the season
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chair — a leader
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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