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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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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: board · arm · content · race · chair · sharp · row · lash

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. row — a line
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. content — happy
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. race — a contest
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. content — the amount
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. row — to paddle
  21. sharp — clever
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  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