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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. tube — a container
  3. rest — what's left
  4. perch — the fish
  5. snap — to click
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bound — obliged
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. can — to be able to
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. tube — the underground
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rest — a break
  18. bound — certain
  19. rest — what's left
  20. can — a tin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. can — a tin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. perch — for a bird

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