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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a ring
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — to handle
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. row — a line
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. deal — an agreement

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