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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ground — a position
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pound — a weight
  6. swing — music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. court — of law
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. swing — to play on

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