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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. last — to go on
  3. staff — a stick
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. staff — employees
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rush — hurry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lash — an eyelash

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