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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rash · cold · club · firm · key · pitcher · present · coach

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. club — for dancing
  3. firm — steady
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. club — a group
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rash — a series
  11. present — a gift
  12. cold — an illness
  13. present — there
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — hasty
  16. club — for golf
  17. present — the time now
  18. firm — decided
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. firm — a company
  21. key — in music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — on the skin

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