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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: spell · hand · arm · can · lash · racket · degree · cold

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — in cards
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. can — a tin
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cold — not warm
  14. degree — an amount
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hand — help

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