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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: bound · chair · pass · face · chest · coach · date · shower

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bound — certain
  5. pass — a permit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bound — tied together
  10. shower — rain
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. shower — to wash
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bound — obliged
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. face — part of the head
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. chest — a box
  22. face — to confront
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. date — on the calendar

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