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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 116 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: bay · coach · lash · kid · field · chair · racket · last

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. field — a subject
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. last — finally
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. field — farmland
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. last — final
  16. kid — child
  17. field — for sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — to tease
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. chair — a professorship

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