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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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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: pitcher · coach · club · nail · craft · snap · firm · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. craft — a skill
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. craft — boats
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to click
  9. club — for dancing
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cell — in biology
  13. firm — a company
  14. club — for golf
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. club — a group
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. firm — steady

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