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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: race · coach · chair · arm · bear · file · pitch · ball

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a document
  6. race — the arms race
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. file — a tool
  18. pitch — completely
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ball — a round shape

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