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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: race · lean · jam · chair · fan · kick · roll · lash

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. lean — thin
  13. roll — a list
  14. race — a contest
  15. kick — in football
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. race — the arms race
  20. chair — a leader
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. race — humankind

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