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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. sharp — clever
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. craft — boats
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bound — certain
  20. craft — a skill
  21. drill — a practice
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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