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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: hand · pound · wind · cue · chip · date · lash · chair

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. hand — help
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pound — a weight
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chip — for betting
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cue — for pool
  24. date — the fruit

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