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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · staff · vault · chair · coach · lash

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. kick — in football
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. staff — a stick
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. staff — employees
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. vault — a safe
  18. kick — with a leg

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