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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: chair · cell · drill · fork · lash · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. 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. present — the time now
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. drill — army training
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. drill — the tool
  8. present — there
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. present — a gift
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fork — in a road
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cell — a phone
  18. 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