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

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chair — a leader
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. present — the time now
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. present — there
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. present — a gift
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lash — to lash out

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