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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: leaves · nail · cabinet · degree · chair · coach · cell · rest

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rest — a break
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — in biology
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. degree — an amount
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cell — in a prison

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