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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — for sport
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cue — for pool
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. field — farmland
  16. fall — the season
  17. bass — low music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wave — with your hand

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