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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bat — the animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fine — all right
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chair — a leader
  22. hand — help
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fine — high quality

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