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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: coach · rash · key · stick · fork · lash · hide · face

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — a series
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. key — in music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. face — to confront
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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