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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. tube — a container
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. present — a gift
  14. game — a match
  15. mark — a trace
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fine — high quality
  18. present — the time now
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. snap — to click
  21. fine — all right
  22. present — there
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mark — a grade

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