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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: snap · firm · lash · field · rash · object · chair · race

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. field — farmland
  3. race — humankind
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. firm — decided
  6. snap — to click
  7. field — a subject
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rash — a series
  12. field — for sport
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. firm — steady
  16. chair — a leader
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. firm — a company
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. object — a thing

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