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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. roll — a list
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. band — a ring
  6. roll — a cake
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bat — the animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mug — a face
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mug — a cup

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