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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mug — to rob
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bank — for money
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mug — a cup
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — of water
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — the season
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mug — a face
  22. snap — to click
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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