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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: swing · chair · rule · mug · bore · coach · march · stick

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mug — a face
  3. rule — a law
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. rule — government
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bore — to drill
  22. march — the month
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. chair — a leader

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