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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · press · bat · kid · fall · jam · lash · arm

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cue — a signal
  4. kid — child
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. cue — a hint
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kid — to tease
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. press — to push
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. press — newspapers
  24. jam — a tight spot

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