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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. court — for sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — hurry
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. land — to come down
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lean — to bend
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. craft — boats
  17. land — a country
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. land — ground
  23. lean — thin
  24. lash — an eyelash

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