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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: nail · sharp · row · capital · coach · club · lash · press

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. capital — money
  6. club — for dancing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. press — a publisher
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. press — to push
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — a line
  15. club — for golf
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. capital — a city
  23. club — a group
  24. press — newspapers

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