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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: chest · coach · rash · cap · trunk · club · mate · deal

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — a group
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — a hat
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. club — for golf
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rash — a series
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cap — a lid
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cap — of ice
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chest — a box
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rash — hasty

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