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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: chair · kid · tube · lash · band · mark · ball · ruler

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chair — a leader
  4. tube — the underground
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mark — a grade
  8. tube — a container
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. band — a ring
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mark — a trace
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ball — a great time

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