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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cell — a phone
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pound — a weight
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. board — to get on
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — a committee
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kid — child
  24. pitch — completely

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