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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. row — to paddle
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cap — a hat
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. court — for sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. row — a line
  19. cap — a lid
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. net — in sport
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cap — of ice

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