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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. root — the cause
  6. rash — hasty
  7. root — of a word
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bass — the fish
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bass — low music
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. capital — money
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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