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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.

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: bowl · fan · dip · coach · cap · arm · land · straw

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — ground
  4. dip — to sink
  5. land — to come down
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. land — a country
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cap — a lid

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