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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 · mark · stick · snap · coach · fan · saw · club

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. club — a group
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mark — a trace
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. snap — to click
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. club — for golf
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. saw — the tool

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