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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. craft — boats
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stand — to bear
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lie — to recline
  19. march — the month
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. march — music
  22. cold — an illness
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lash — to lash out

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