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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: arm · straw · lash · pass · wind · club · cell · rule

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cell — a phone
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rule — government
  8. club — for golf
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rule — a law
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. club — a group
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. club — for dancing
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lash — an eyelash

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