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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. deal — to handle
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. squash — the sport
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rest — a break
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kick — in football
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. craft — boats
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. craft — a skill

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