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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 116 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: kid · straw · calf · fall · squash · ball · track · coach

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fall — the season
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. track — a song
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. track — to keep track

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