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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: staff · bore · squash · fork · race · pitch · coach · chair

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. chair — a leader
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. race — a contest
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. squash — the sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. staff — a stick
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fork — a garden tool

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