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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rest — a break
  4. kid — child
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. object — a thing
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. object — an aim
  14. rest — what's left
  15. present — there
  16. kid — to tease
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. present — the time now
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. object — to protest

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