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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: craft · swing · cue · tube · coach · last · staff · chest

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cue — a hint
  5. staff — employees
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tube — the underground
  8. last — final
  9. craft — boats
  10. cue — for pool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. tube — a container
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. chest — a box
  21. swing — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. staff — employees

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