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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: bowl · march · coach · wound · chair · bound · pitch · rest

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bound — tied together
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — the month
  16. bound — certain
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. march — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. march — the month
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bowl — a dish

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