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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rash — a series
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. object — an aim
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — a face
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — hasty
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. board — to get on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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