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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: drill · racket · chair · chest · lash · field · fine · row

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. drill — the tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. drill — army training
  12. field — a subject
  13. row — a line
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. field — for sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chest — a box
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. drill — a practice
  24. chest — of your body

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