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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: straw · kid · coach · hide · stick · chest · pound · kick

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kid — child
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kick — in football
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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