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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: saw · arm · pitch · snap · pop · coach · shower · chair

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. snap — to click
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pop — music
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitch — completely
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pop — soda
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pop — to visit
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. saw — the tool

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