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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — music
  9. rest — a break
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cue — for pool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cue — a hint
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cue — a signal
  20. drill — army training
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kid — child
  23. drill — a practice
  24. march — the month

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