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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mug — a face
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bass — low music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mug — a cup
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. vault — a safe
  22. tube — a container
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mug — to rob

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