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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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Word bank
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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: coach · lash · foot · game · stand · fork · cold · scale

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. scale — in music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. foot — a measure
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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