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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: arm · date · chest · lash · hand · coach · cue · ball

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ball — a great time
  5. date — the fruit
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — help
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chest — a box
  17. hand — in cards
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cue — a signal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cue — for pool

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