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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: stand · arm · saw · chair · hand · racket · club · lash

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. club — a group
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. club — for golf
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. club — for dancing

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