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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rule — government
  3. swing — music
  4. toast — bread
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rest — a break
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rule — a law
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. straw — dry grass

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