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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. can — a tin
  2. bank — for money
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bank — of a river
  8. can — a tin
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. face — part of the head
  12. can — to be able to
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. kick — in football
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. face — to point toward
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. face — to confront
  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