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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · season · lash · hand · stick · track · coach · march

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kid — to tease
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — child
  5. march — the month
  6. season — of the year
  7. track — to keep track
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. track — a song
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. hand — help
  20. season — in sport
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. march — music
  24. season — to add flavour

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