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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. suit — in cards
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. clip — a video
  7. suit — clothes
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — to cut
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rest — a break
  12. court — of a king
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mug — a face
  15. dip — to sink
  16. suit — to fit
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rest — what's left
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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