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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fork — in a road
  6. squash — the sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. drill — army training
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. drill — a practice
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. face — to confront
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. face — part of the head
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. face — to point toward
  23. arm — a part of something
  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