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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. march — the month
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. spell — letters
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. spell — magic
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. court — of law
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. court — for sport
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. root — of a plant
  20. net — after costs
  21. root — of a word
  22. court — of a king
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. root — the cause

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