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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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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 · staff · racket · chip · straw · chest · bank · lie

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. staff — employees
  7. bank — of a river
  8. lie — to recline
  9. staff — employees
  10. chest — a box
  11. chip — to eat
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bank — for money
  15. staff — a stick
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bank — for money
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. chip — for betting

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