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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. spring — of water
  5. march — music
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. march — the month
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — a coil
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — the season
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  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