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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: swing · bass · racket · lash · face · court · stick · coach

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. swing — to play on
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — in golf
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. court — of law
  8. face — to point toward
  9. court — for sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. face — to confront
  16. bass — low music
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bass — the fish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — of a king
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. coach — a trainer

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