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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: court · net · stick · deal · kid · chair · present · coach

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — after costs
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. net — in sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. court — of law
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. chair — a leader
  14. kid — child
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. court — of a king
  17. net — for catching
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. court — for sport
  24. kid — to tease

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