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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. file — a document
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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