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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's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. chest — a box
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. spell — a short time
  16. court — of law
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. foot — a measure
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spell — letters

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