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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
468
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: coach · club · spell · sharp · chest · squash · press · pound

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spell — letters
  11. club — for golf
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. press — to push
  14. squash — to crush
  15. press — newspapers
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chest — a box
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pound — a weight
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. press — a publisher
  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