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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. kid — child
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. toast — bread
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. court — for sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. court — of a king
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. court — of law
  22. file — a tool
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. file — a line of people

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