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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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Word bank
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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: content · fan · press · lash · arm · bound · object · court

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. court — for sport
  3. content — the amount
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. object — a thing
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bound — certain
  13. content — happy
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. press — a publisher
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bound — obliged
  19. court — of law
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — of a king
  23. press — to push
  24. arm — part of the body

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