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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. court — of law
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cap — of ice
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. court — for sport
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lean — to bend
  18. court — of a king
  19. plane — a tool
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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