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

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. land — to come down
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. court — of law
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. court — of a king
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — ground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — of the year
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fall — the season
  22. court — for sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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