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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. last — to go on
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — finally
  16. shower — rain
  17. last — final
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bear — the animal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fine — a penalty
  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