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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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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: hide · lash · ruler · nail · saw · fan · race · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. race — a contest
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — humankind
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chair — a professorship

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