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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: bulb · pitcher · chair · hide · hand · spell · coach · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chair — a leader
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bulb — for light
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — magic

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