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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. last — to go on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fork — in a road
  7. last — finally
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bound — certain
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chest — a box
  17. bound — obliged
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. last — final
  20. bound — tied together
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — to eat with

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