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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cap — a hat
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. kick — in football
  13. can — a tin
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. can — to be able to
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mug — a cup
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cap — of ice
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lash — an eyelash

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