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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. file — a tool
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. file — a document
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. tear — from crying
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. tear — to rip
  15. row — to paddle
  16. file — a line of people
  17. row — a line
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. tear — from crying

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