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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rash — a series
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. scale — in music
  9. band — a ring
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — hasty
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. scale — size or range
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. lash — to lash out

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