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

Word bank: coach · tear · bay · march · chair · foot

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. march — music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. tear — from crying
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. foot — a measure
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. march — the month
  18. bay — a horse colour

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