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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spell — letters
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mug — a face
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hand — help
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cap — of ice
  12. spring — of water
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — magic
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spring — the season
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hand — in cards
  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