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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. key — in music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pop — soda
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pop — music
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — the most important part
  9. board — a committee
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. board — to get on
  20. spell — letters
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. key — for a lock
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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