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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rush — hurry
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cold — an illness
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. suit — to fit
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. scale — in music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. craft — a handicraft

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