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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. chest — a box
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. roll — a list
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chest — of your body
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — in a race
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chest — of your body
  24. roll — a cake

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