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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — in sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. tear — from crying
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. season — of the year
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ball — a dance
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. game — a match
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a great time
  18. tear — to rip
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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