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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. sharp — clever
  4. game — a match
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. vault — a safe
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. perch — the fish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. game — wild animals
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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