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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lean — thin
  3. march — the month
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. kid — child
  16. march — music
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lean — to bend
  20. can — to be able to
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lie — to recline
  23. can — a tin
  24. kid — to tease

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