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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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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: spell · saw · coach · vault · pitcher · lash · face · court

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — for sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. court — of a king
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. face — part of the head
  14. saw — the tool
  15. court — of law
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spell — letters
  19. face — to point toward
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. face — to confront
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pitcher — a jug

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