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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. object — a thing
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rule — a law
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spell — a short time
  9. object — to protest
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chair — a leader
  13. spell — letters
  14. rule — government
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. object — an aim
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lash — an eyelash

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