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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 · firm · bark · racket · deal · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. firm — a company
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. firm — steady
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. firm — decided
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bark — to shout
  18. racket — for tennis

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