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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. toast — bread
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stock — shares
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mug — a face
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stock — goods
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. can — a tin
  20. bank — of a river
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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