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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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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: kid · racket · chair · wake · bay · rest · lash · last

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. last — to go on
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. last — finally
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — final
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wake — a trail
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. racket — for tennis
  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