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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 120 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: chair · coach · pass · mark · clip · lash · swing · racket

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. swing — in golf
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. clip — a video
  8. pass — a permit
  9. clip — for paper
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. swing — music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mark — a grade
  23. swing — to play on
  24. clip — to cut

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