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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. staff — a stick
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bark — to shout
  5. staff — employees
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. saw — the tool
  8. present — there
  9. roll — a cake
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. roll — a list
  17. key — the most important part
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. key — in music
  22. present — a gift
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. straw — dry grass

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