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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. band — a ring
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. plane — a tool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. band — a music group
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. season — of the year
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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