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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 120 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: coach · wake · stick · stand · rest · chair · court · shower

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. court — of law
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rest — what's left
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. shower — rain
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rest — a break
  17. court — of a king
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — for sport
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wake — a trail

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