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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cap — a lid
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. current — electric
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pop — soda
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. current — of water
  16. rock — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cap — of ice
  19. current — happening now
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pop — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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