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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. squash — the sport
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cap — a hat
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bulb — for light
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cap — of ice
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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