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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mug — a face
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mate — a partner
  22. swing — music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mate — to breed

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