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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stand — to bear
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rule — government
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — thin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. kid — child
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bass — low music
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rule — a law

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