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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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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. net — in sport
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. land — ground
  12. present — there
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. drill — army training
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. present — a gift

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