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

Word bank: chair · squash · row · lash · pop · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pop — music
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pop — soda
  13. row — a line
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rule — a law

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