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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. spell — letters
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. craft — a skill
  9. spring — a coil
  10. craft — boats
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spring — the season
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spell — a short time
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spring — of water
  18. spell — magic
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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