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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: fall · chest · saw · coach · club · firm · spell · cue

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chest — a box
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. club — a group
  10. spell — magic
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — letters
  13. club — for golf
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cue — for pool
  16. firm — a company
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. firm — steady
  19. spell — a short time
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — a signal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for dancing
  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