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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: mug · squash · chip · lash · stock · sharp · chair · net

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. net — after costs
  5. mug — a cup
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mug — a face
  11. chip — to eat
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chip — for betting
  14. net — in sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stock — goods
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. net — for catching
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mug — to rob
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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