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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. last — to go on
  5. stand — to bear
  6. object — to protest
  7. staff — employees
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. last — final
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — a video
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. object — a thing
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. clip — for paper
  18. last — finally
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. object — an aim
  24. clip — to cut

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