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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
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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: mug · stand · court · straw · bass · present · coach · clip

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. present — a gift
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stand — to bear
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mug — a face
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — to rob
  16. clip — to cut
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. clip — for paper
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. clip — a video
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — of law
  23. mug — a cup
  24. court — of a king

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