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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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. shower — to wash
  4. track — a path
  5. shower — rain
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. track — a song
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. march — the month
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. march — music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — the tool
  20. track — to keep track
  21. drill — army training
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. lash — to lash out

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