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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: coach · club · mug · fan · kid · saw · fine · pitcher

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kid — child
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mug — a face
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — all right
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — a cup
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mug — to rob
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fine — high quality
  24. club — for golf

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