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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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 — a whip stroke
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. mark — a trace
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rock — music
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mark — a grade
  23. scale — in music
  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