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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. content — happy
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — the amount
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. toast — bread
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. row — a line

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