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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 · straw · swing · lie · cabinet · club · sharp · plane

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. sharp — clever
  3. club — a group
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. club — for dancing
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. swing — music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. lie — to recline
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. club — for golf
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. coach — a trainer

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