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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. clip — for paper
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rush — hurry
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bore — to tire
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. clip — a video
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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