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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: key · wind · kid · mate · chair · leaves · track · coach

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. kid — child
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mate — to breed
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. track — a song
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. key — the most important part
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — a leader
  15. track — a path
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. key — in music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wind — moving air
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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