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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · club · mug · straw · coach · mate · press · bat

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. club — a group
  4. mug — a cup
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mate — a partner
  8. press — newspapers
  9. club — for dancing
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bat — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. club — for golf
  20. press — to push
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. key — in music
  23. press — a publisher
  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