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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: race · chair · bound · coach · calf · pitcher · branch · pitch

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. race — a contest
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chair — a leader
  16. branch — a division
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bound — certain
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. race — the arms race

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