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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. scale — in music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. march — the month
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. net — in sport
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — size or range
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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