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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: date · chair · nail · board · bat · lash · file · safe

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. board — to get on
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. file — a document
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. board — a committee
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. file — a line of people
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bat — the animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. chair — to sit on

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