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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · coach · bulb · fork · chair · squash · pitcher · roll

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bulb — for light
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. chair — a leader
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bulb — for light
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. roll — a list
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. face — to confront
  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