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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: court · mate · clip · current · tear · can · lash · coach

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mate — a friend
  4. current — happening now
  5. mate — a partner
  6. court — for sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. court — of law
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. current — electric
  12. mate — to breed
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — for paper
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tear — from crying
  17. current — of water
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. court — of a king
  24. can — a tin

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