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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spell — magic
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light

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