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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 116 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: chair · object · swing · hand · patient · race · squash · lash

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. race — humankind
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. object — an aim
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. swing — music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. squash — the sport
  11. object — a thing
  12. swing — in golf
  13. race — the arms race
  14. object — to protest
  15. hand — help
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — in cards
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. race — a contest
  21. squash — to crush
  22. swing — to play on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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