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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pop — to visit
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pop — soda
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rash — a series
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pop — music
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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