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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rash — a series
  11. roll — a list
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. roll — a cake
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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