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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: chest · pitch · race · chair · board · coach · snap · saw

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. snap — to click
  4. race — a contest
  5. chest — a box
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. board — to get on
  9. saw — the tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chair — a leader

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