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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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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: bay · cue · chair · coach · wind · swing · clip · mug

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cue — a signal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — to play on
  8. clip — a video
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mug — a cup
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mug — a face
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. swing — music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mug — to rob
  19. swing — in golf
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wind — moving air

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