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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. face — to confront
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. row — to paddle
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pass — a permit
  19. face — part of the head
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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