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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. charge — electricity
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — child
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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