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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 · safe · lash · lie · wind · rash · game · content

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. content — the amount
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — a leader
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. game — a match
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rash — a series

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