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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: lash · bat · kid · content · arm · leaves · cue · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. content — happy
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. kid — child
  10. cue — for pool
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. content — the amount
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bat — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cue — a hint
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. kid — to tease

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