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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rock — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. sharp — clever
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rock — a stone
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — to move gently

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