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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rush — hurry
  3. march — the month
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lie — to recline
  8. march — music
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. march — the month
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — to sink
  17. squash — the sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. key — in music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. squash — to crush

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