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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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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: bore · field · cabinet · chair · mark · coach · kid · net

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. net — after costs
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mark — a trace
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. net — in sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — farmland
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. kid — child
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cabinet — ministers

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