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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: cell · key · field · coach · mate · deal · lash · cap

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mate — a partner
  3. field — for sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. field — farmland
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. key — for a lock
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mate — to breed
  15. field — a subject
  16. cap — a lid
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. key — in music
  19. mate — a friend
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. key — the most important part
  24. coach — a trainer

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