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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. swing — to play on
  4. land — ground
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cue — a signal
  7. land — to come down
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. land — a country
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cue — for pool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. pass — a permit

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