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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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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: coach · chest · deal · can · swing · march · cell · shower

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. chest — a box
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. shower — to wash
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. march — the month
  11. shower — rain
  12. chest — of your body
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — music
  16. deal — to handle
  17. march — the month
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cell — a phone
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. can — a tin
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chest — of your body

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