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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 116 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: club · coach · stand · swing · lie · plane · sharp · bat

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. club — for dancing
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. club — a group
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bat — the animal
  18. swing — in golf
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. lie — to recline
  21. club — for golf
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stand — for spectators

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