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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 120 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 · staff · arm · march · kid · coach · file · ball

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pit — in a race
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — employees
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — child
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pit — a hole
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. march — music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ball — a dance
  17. kid — to tease
  18. file — a tool
  19. staff — employees
  20. file — a document
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. ball — a great time
  24. staff — a stick

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