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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 120 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: coach · bay · calf · chest · straw · racket · rash · cap

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chest — a box
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rash — a series
  24. bay — a horse colour

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