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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pound — a weight
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. face — to point toward
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. charge — electricity
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wound — an injury

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