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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 116 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: pit · deal · swing · chair · bark · file · coach · race

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chair — a leader
  5. swing — music
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. race — a contest
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. race — humankind
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pit — a hole
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pit — in a race
  22. swing — to play on
  23. file — a document
  24. chair — to sit on

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