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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: lash · mug · hide · pitcher · rash · coach · chip · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mug — to rob
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. track — to keep track
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mug — a face
  10. track — a song
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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