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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: pop · foot · coach · racket · staff · chair · fall · content

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fall — the season
  4. staff — employees
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. chair — a leader
  7. foot — a measure
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pop — music
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. staff — employees
  20. fall — to drop
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pop — soda
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. racket — a loud noise

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