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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 124 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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Word bank
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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 · saw · chest · coach · lie · foot · squash · charge

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. charge — a price
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. club — for golf
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. foot — a measure
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. squash — the sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. club — a group
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. charge — in control
  21. chest — a box
  22. charge — electricity
  23. saw — the tool
  24. squash — to crush

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