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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: toast · bat · rock · arm · coach · lash · press · degree

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rock — music
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. degree — temperature
  20. press — to push
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. toast — bread
  24. rock — a stone

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