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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chair — a leader
  11. track — a song
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. lash — to lash out

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