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

Word bank: club · coach · foot · hide · row · stick

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. club — for golf
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. foot — a measure
  15. row — to paddle
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. club — a group
  18. hide — to keep secret

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