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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: kick · row · straw · fan · coach · chip · can · rash

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rash — hasty
  8. kick — in football
  9. chip — for betting
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — a series
  20. row — to paddle
  21. can — a tin
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chip — to eat

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