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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: court · pitch · foot · coach · hide · tear · fan · lash

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. court — for sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tear — from crying
  8. court — of law
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — completely
  18. foot — a measure
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. court — of a king
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fan — a supporter

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