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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: field · chair · court · coach · fork · race · craft · bank

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — farmland
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chair — a leader
  10. court — of law
  11. bank — for money
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — for sport
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. field — a subject
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. court — of a king
  23. craft — boats
  24. fork — in a road

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