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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.

Make a worksheet

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: season · chest · fan · arm · date · rule · coach · chair

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chest — a box
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — a law
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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