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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rest — a break
  10. cap — of ice
  11. deal — to handle
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — a series
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rest — what's left
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. march — the month
  23. rash — hasty
  24. straw — a straw man

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