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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: content · capital · coach · face · arm · pitch · chip · lash

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. face — to confront
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. content — the amount
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pitch — completely
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. chip — for betting
  17. capital — a city
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — money
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. arm — part of the body

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