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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 116 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 · drill · rest · firm · lash · net · bank · kid

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rest — a break
  3. bank — of a river
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. net — after costs
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. drill — a practice
  9. net — in sport
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. bank — for money
  13. drill — army training
  14. net — for catching
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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