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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mine — for digging
  7. drill — army training
  8. stock — shares
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rash — a series
  11. stock — goods
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — a practice
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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