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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hand — help
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a tool
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. file — a document

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