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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bank — of a river
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bank — for money
  20. chest — a box
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. board — to get on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. board — a committee

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