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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: coach · swing · pitcher · drill · cell · pass · arm · chair

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cell — a phone
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pass — a permit
  16. drill — army training
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. cell — in biology

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