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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. spell — letters
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stock — shares
  10. spell — a short time
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cold — not warm
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cue — a hint
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. present — the time now
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spell — magic
  21. present — a gift
  22. stock — goods
  23. cue — a signal
  24. arm — part of the body

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