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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mate — a partner
  17. dip — to sink
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. perch — the fish
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rash — a series

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