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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 120 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: wind · coach · chair · track · foot · wound · pass · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. track — a path
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wind — moving air
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. track — a song
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. track — to keep track
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pass — a permit

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