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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bear — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bear — the animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — to paddle
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. row — a line
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. straw — dry grass

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