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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rock — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chest — of your body
  11. march — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rock — a stone
  16. chest — a box
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. chip — to eat
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. shower — rain

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