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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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Word bank
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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. clip — a video
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mate — a friend
  7. march — the month
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rash — a series
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. march — music
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rash — hasty
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. march — the month
  23. mate — to breed
  24. temple — a place of worship

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