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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mug — a face
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cue — a signal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bore — to drill

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