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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stand — to bear
  3. chair — a leader
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. scale — in music
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. chip — to eat
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rash — a series
  16. hand — help
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lean — thin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. scale — size or range
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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