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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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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: wound · court · can · hide · chest · toast · snap · coach

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. can — a tin
  5. toast — bread
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. court — of law
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. can — a tin
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chest — of your body

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