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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — a trail
  5. game — a match
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. game — wild animals
  9. content — the amount
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lie — to recline
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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