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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: bat · snap · fan · lash · coach · stand · chair · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. scale — in music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. snap — to click
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stand — to bear

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