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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fine — all right
  3. swing — music
  4. march — the month
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. swing — in golf
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. court — for sport
  13. march — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pound — a weight
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. court — of law
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lash — to lash out

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