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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: coach · clip · fork · kick · scale · chair · swing · bay

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. swing — music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. clip — a video
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. swing — to play on
  18. kick — in football
  19. clip — to cut
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. scale — in music
  24. fork — in a road

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