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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: mouse · safe · hide · race · lash · coach · cell · chair

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cell — a phone
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chair — a leader
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. race — humankind
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. race — a contest

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