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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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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: lash · chest · race · object · drill · chair · mate · bound

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. object — to protest
  3. mate — a partner
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. object — a thing
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — army training
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bound — obliged
  14. race — a contest
  15. bound — certain
  16. chest — a box
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. drill — a practice
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bound — tied together
  21. race — the arms race
  22. object — an aim
  23. race — humankind
  24. mate — to breed

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