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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cue — a signal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. degree — temperature
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cue — for pool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. degree — from a university
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cue — a hint

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