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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: board · trunk · chip · sharp · ball · kid · jam · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. kid — child
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. kid — to tease
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. sharp — clever
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. board — a committee
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. board — to get on
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. coach — a trainer

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