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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: fall · staff · coach · lash · race · pitch · spell · bay

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. race — a contest
  5. spell — letters
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. race — the arms race
  13. spell — a short time
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — the season
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. spell — magic
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. race — humankind
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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