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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: face · mug · racket · chair · clip · lash · bound · rush

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mug — a face
  7. face — part of the head
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bound — certain
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bound — tied together
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mug — a cup
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mug — to rob
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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