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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · object · swing · date · hand · stand · coach · court

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. object — to protest
  3. court — of a king
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — music
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. chair — a leader
  13. date — the fruit
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stand — to bear
  18. hand — in cards
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hand — help
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — of law
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. court — for sport

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