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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. kid — child
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mark — a grade
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — letters
  24. mine — for digging

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