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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: pound · wind · coach · chair · bay · clip · firm · deal

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. firm — steady
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — to handle
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. firm — a company
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. firm — decided
  20. wind — moving air
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. chair — a leader
  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