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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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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: deal · spell · coach · straw · bound · dip · net · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. net — after costs
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bound — certain
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spell — magic
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bound — tied together
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. net — in sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bound — obliged
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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