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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: content · net · nail · row · band · press · chair · coach

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. press — a publisher
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. row — to paddle
  7. net — for catching
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. content — the amount
  11. net — in sport
  12. band — a music group
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. band — a ring
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — after costs
  19. content — happy
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. press — to push
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chair — a leader

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