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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: bay · chair · pop · race · coach · present · snap · mouse

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pop — music
  3. race — the arms race
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. present — a gift
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mouse — for a computer

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