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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. board — a committee
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. tear — from crying
  8. swing — music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. tear — to rip
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rash — hasty
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. squash — to crush
  22. board — to get on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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