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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 · rule · land · chair · cabinet · wound · jam · bay

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — to come down
  7. rule — government
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rule — a law
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. land — a country
  13. chair — a leader
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — ground

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