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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lean — thin
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. swing — music
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ground — a position
  12. swing — to play on
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. dip — to sink
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. foot — a measure
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — in golf
  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