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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. file — a document
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. net — for catching
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. net — after costs
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — to crush
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. file — a line of people
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a tool
  24. squash — the sport

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