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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. roll — a list
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fine — all right
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. race — a contest
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. roll — a cake
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. race — humankind
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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