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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 116 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitch — completely
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ball — a great time
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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