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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. ground — a position
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. craft — a skill
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tube — a container
  15. chest — a box
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rule — government
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rule — a law
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tube — the underground

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