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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.

Make a worksheet

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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468
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: plane · lash · chair · sharp · stick · chest · racket · rash

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chest — of your body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rash — a series
  24. lash — to lash out

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