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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: kid · squash · rule · foot · clip · coach · present · mug

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rule — a law
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. squash — to crush
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — there
  9. mug — a cup
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. clip — a video
  12. foot — a measure
  13. squash — the sport
  14. present — the time now
  15. kid — to tease
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. clip — for paper
  18. present — a gift
  19. kid — child
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mug — a face
  22. rule — government
  23. mug — to rob
  24. squash — the vegetable

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