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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: perch · bay · chair · coach · club · game · present · swing

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. club — a group
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. present — a gift
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chair — a leader
  9. club — for golf
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. swing — in golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. swing — music
  20. game — a match
  21. present — the time now
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. present — there
  24. coach — a trainer

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