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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: rock · rush · cabinet · arm · lash · last · dip · net

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rock — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. net — for catching
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. last — to go on
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. last — finally
  21. dip — to sink
  22. last — final
  23. arm — a part of something
  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