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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rock — music
  3. firm — steady
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. field — for sport
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. net — for catching
  9. rock — a stone
  10. net — after costs
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — farmland
  14. rule — government
  15. firm — decided
  16. can — a tin
  17. net — in sport
  18. firm — a company
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. field — a subject
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rule — a law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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