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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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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: lash · fork · coach · arm · saw · rash · chip · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rash — a series
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chip — to eat
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fork — in a road
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. kick — in football
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fork — to eat with

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