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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.

Make a worksheet

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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. object — a thing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a tool
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. file — a line of people
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. date — the fruit
  19. object — an aim
  20. file — a document
  21. ball — a great time
  22. object — to protest
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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