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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. present — there
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. craft — a skill
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. present — a gift
  11. craft — boats
  12. present — the time now
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tube — a container
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. tear — from crying

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