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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: court · rush · mug · coach · root · chair · march · kid

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rush — hurry
  4. court — for sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kid — child
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. root — the cause
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. court — of a king
  12. march — the month
  13. court — of law
  14. mug — a cup
  15. root — of a word
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. mug — a face
  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