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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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. club — a group
  4. rest — a break
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. club — for golf
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pop — soda
  11. file — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pop — to visit
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pop — music
  22. file — a document
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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