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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: rush · nail · calf · file · chair · pop · lash · row

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. file — a line of people
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pop — music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. file — a tool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. row — a line
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a document
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. chair — a leader

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