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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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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: rash · mate · craft · charge · lash · wind · chair · cold

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rash — hasty
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mate — a partner
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. craft — boats
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — a friend
  14. charge — a price
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rash — a series
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lash — an eyelash

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