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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. face — part of the head
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. face — to confront
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — in golf
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. face — to point toward
  18. can — a tin
  19. swing — to play on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. swing — music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lash — an eyelash

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