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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. net — in sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pop — soda
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rash — hasty
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. squash — to crush
  19. net — for catching
  20. pop — music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. net — after costs
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rash — a series

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