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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: bound · staff · mug · date · swing · coach · kid · board

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. staff — a stick
  4. swing — music
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. swing — to play on
  8. board — a committee
  9. mug — a face
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bound — obliged
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bound — certain
  16. mug — to rob
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bound — tied together
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. staff — employees
  22. board — to get on
  23. mug — a cup
  24. coach — a trainer

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