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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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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 · cold · staff · racket · kick · current · fan · toast

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — in football
  5. current — electric
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. current — of water
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. staff — employees
  15. cold — an illness
  16. current — happening now
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. toast — bread
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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