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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: saw · kid · bay · coach · face · chair · band · racket

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kid — child
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kid — to tease
  8. face — part of the head
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. chair — a leader
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. band — a music group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. band — a ring
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. racket — for tennis

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