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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. court — of a king
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. court — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. track — a path
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. track — a song
  24. court — of law

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