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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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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 · chair · pop · clip · lie · fork · kick · mouse

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. kick — in football
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pop — to visit
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. clip — a video
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pop — music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fork — in a road
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chair — a leader
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pop — soda
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kick — a thrill

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