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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mug — a cup
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — army training
  11. rock — a stone
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rock — music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mug — a face
  17. present — there
  18. mug — to rob
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. present — the time now
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. drill — the tool
  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