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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · saw · chair · snap · wound · key · rash · lean

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — a leader
  15. snap — to click
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lean — thin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. key — for a lock

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