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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. tube — a container
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. degree — temperature
  7. tube — the underground
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fall — to drop
  10. degree — an amount
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rule — government
  16. fall — the season
  17. rule — a law
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. degree — from a university
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — a song

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