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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. deal — to handle
  4. swing — to play on
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. swing — music
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — in golf
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cold — the Cold War

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