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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: lash · chair · rock · rule · deal · saw · kid · ball

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rock — music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. deal — to handle
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rock — a stone
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rule — government
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rule — a law
  24. ball — a dance

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