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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: swing · bay · snap · arm · row · lash · mine · fine

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fine — high quality
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fine — all right
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mine — for digging
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. swing — in golf
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. row — a line
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. swing — music

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