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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: mark · lash · race · arm · wound · chair · press · squash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mark — a trace
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. race — humankind
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. press — to push
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. race — the arms race
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. race — a contest
  23. mark — a grade
  24. lash — to lash out

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