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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fork — in a road
  4. object — a thing
  5. spring — the season
  6. bat — the animal
  7. object — an aim
  8. present — there
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. present — the time now
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. object — to protest
  19. present — a gift
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spring — a coil
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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