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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. foot — a measure
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. ground — a position
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ground — crushed
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. foot — the bottom

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