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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. craft — boats
  3. hand — in cards
  4. swing — to play on
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. craft — a skill
  12. swing — music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. hand — help
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pass — a permit
  22. lean — thin
  23. rash — a series
  24. swing — in golf

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