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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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Word bank
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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rule — government
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rule — a law
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. key — in music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — for tennis

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