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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spell — letters
  6. suit — to fit
  7. hand — help
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bat — the animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spell — magic
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. suit — in cards
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. track — a path
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. suit — clothes
  24. lash — to lash out

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