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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. branch — a division
  6. court — for sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cue — a hint
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. court — of law
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pass — a permit
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. chest — a box
  22. cue — for pool
  23. court — of a king
  24. sharp — exactly

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