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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. charge — in control
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kick — in football
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bound — obliged
  21. track — a path
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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