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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: row · bat · chip · coach · club · object · board · perch

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. object — a thing
  7. row — a line
  8. board — a committee
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. club — for golf
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. object — an aim
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. board — to get on
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chip — for betting
  19. object — to protest
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. row — to paddle

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