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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. lean — thin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. toast — bread
  9. cold — an illness
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lean — to bend
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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