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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ground — crushed
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chair — a leader

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