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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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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: race · hide · lash · bulb · chair · board · field · mark

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chair — a leader
  4. field — a subject
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — to get on
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mark — a grade
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — farmland
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. field — for sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mark — a trace
  22. board — a committee
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hide — to keep secret

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