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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: foot · fall · coach · ruler · cell · chair · lash · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cell — a phone
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. chair — a leader
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fall — the season
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cell — in biology
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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