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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bat — the animal
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. lean — thin
  24. fork — in a road

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