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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: trunk · face · coach · club · chair · wave · pit · deal

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pit — a hole
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — to confront
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chair — a leader
  7. club — for golf
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pit — in a race
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. club — a group
  21. deal — to handle
  22. face — part of the head
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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