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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wound — an injury
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. game — a match
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mark — a grade
  18. suit — in cards
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — a kind of play

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