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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chip — for betting
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chip — to eat
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wound — an injury

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