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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: chair · face · hide · coach · club · foot · spring · bat

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bat — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — a leader
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — of water
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. face — to confront
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. club — for dancing
  19. spring — the season
  20. club — for golf
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. club — a group

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