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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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Word bank
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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: present · swing · racket · chair · stock · hide · lash · scale

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stock — shares
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stock — goods
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. present — a gift
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. present — the time now
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. present — there
  24. scale — in music

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