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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 116 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mark — a trace
  5. game — wild animals
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cap — a lid
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. game — a match
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mark — a grade
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. perch — the fish

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