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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 120 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: tear · game · cabinet · firm · suit · chair · lash · clip

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. firm — a company
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. clip — a video
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. tear — to rip
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. clip — for paper
  13. suit — to fit
  14. game — a match
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. firm — steady
  18. game — wild animals
  19. suit — clothes
  20. firm — decided
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. clip — to cut
  23. game — a kind of play
  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