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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · arm · lash · court · swing · ball · cold · mug

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cold — an illness
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cold — not warm
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. swing — music
  15. ball — a great time
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mug — a face
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ball — a dance
  21. swing — in golf
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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