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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — a grade
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. club — for golf
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. branch — a division
  14. mark — a trace
  15. hand — in cards
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — help
  21. snap — to click
  22. club — a group
  23. wind — moving air
  24. branch — of a tree

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