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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 116 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: straw · patient · mate · key · kid · net · fall · coach

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fall — to drop
  3. key — in music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kid — child
  6. key — for a lock
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mate — a partner
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mate — to breed
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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