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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 120 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: firm · cell · race · lash · mouse · chair · bass · bulb

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. race — humankind
  3. firm — decided
  4. race — a contest
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. firm — a company
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. firm — steady
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bass — low music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mouse — for a computer

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