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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: bowl · straw · rest · club · wake · foot · coach · mug

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mug — a face
  10. club — a group
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rest — what's left
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mug — a cup
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. club — for golf
  19. rest — what's left
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rest — a break
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. club — for dancing
  24. straw — a straw man

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