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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: cold · capital · fine · wave · chair · straw · present · coach

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. present — the time now
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cold — not warm
  8. present — a gift
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chair — a leader
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fine — all right
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. present — there
  20. fine — high quality
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. capital — a big letter

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