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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rash — hasty
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. tube — the underground
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. tube — a container
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. band — a music group
  20. rash — a series
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. band — a ring
  24. rash — on the skin

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