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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 · row · mine · mug · club · pit · wake · pop

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mug — a cup
  7. club — for golf
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. club — a group
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a face
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. row — a line
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pop — soda
  20. pit — a hole
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pop — music
  24. club — for dancing

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