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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 · chip · chair · hand · racket · fork · file · track

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hand — in cards
  4. file — a tool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. track — a path
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chair — a leader
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. hand — help
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chip — in a computer

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