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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. last — finally
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fall — the season
  5. squash — to crush
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fall — to drop
  9. march — the month
  10. last — to go on
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. last — final
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. march — music

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