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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: deal · mine · arm · lash · bowl · last · pit · row

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. last — final
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. last — finally
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. last — to go on
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. row — a line
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mine — for digging
  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