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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. scale — in music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. march — the month
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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