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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: ball · club · staff · roll · cabinet · mug · coach · cold

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. mug — a face
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mug — a cup
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. staff — employees
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. club — for golf
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. club — a group
  17. cold — an illness
  18. staff — employees
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. roll — a list
  21. cold — not warm
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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