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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: coach · straw · hide · game · stand · rest · wound · bay

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rest — a break
  14. game — a match
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rest — what's left

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