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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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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: lash · court · hide · board · degree · last · mouse · arm

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. last — to go on
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. court — for sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. last — final
  13. degree — temperature
  14. board — to get on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. court — of a king
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. board — a committee
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. last — finally
  24. court — of law

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