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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pop — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chip — for betting
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. degree — from a university
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chip — to eat
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rule — government
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rule — a law
  24. leaves — of a tree

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