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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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Word bank
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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: coach · chip · present · object · pitcher · current · net · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. current — of water
  3. chair — a leader
  4. object — to protest
  5. present — a gift
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. present — there
  10. current — electric
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — happening now
  14. object — a thing
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. net — in sport
  17. object — an aim
  18. present — the time now
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — for betting
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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