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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bat — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. craft — boats
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. land — a country
  24. nail — on a finger

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