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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pop — soda
  5. kid — child
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spring — of water
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pop — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pop — to visit
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. spring — the season
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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