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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · clip · fan · track · snap · net · chair · content

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. net — in sport
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. net — after costs
  5. content — happy
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. clip — a video
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. content — the amount
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. snap — to click
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a song
  22. net — for catching
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — a leader

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