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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. net — for catching
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ground — a position
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. net — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. craft — boats
  18. ground — the earth
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rest — a break
  24. craft — a skill

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