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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: coach · chair · fan · pop · clip · dip · pitcher · safe

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. clip — for paper
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pop — to visit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. dip — to sink

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