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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: rash · deal · coach · straw · ruler · bat · fall · plane

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rash — a series
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fall — to drop
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. deal — to handle
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rash — hasty
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. plane — a tool
  24. deal — an agreement

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