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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 · pound · staff · mate · track · date · perch · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — a friend
  4. perch — the fish
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. track — to keep track
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mate — to breed
  13. staff — employees
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pound — a weight
  18. staff — a stick
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. track — a path
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. date — on the calendar
  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