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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 120 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: row · content · lash · wound · cap · mate · arm · cue

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. content — happy
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cap — of ice
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cap — a lid
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mate — to breed
  18. row — a line
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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