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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: coach · straw · club · chest · cabinet · racket · bear · mug

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chest — a box
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mug — to rob
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mug — a face
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mug — a cup
  21. club — for golf
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  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