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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — clever
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. charge — in control
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. charge — electricity
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. net — in sport
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. charge — a price
  15. snap — to click
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. net — after costs
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spring — a coil
  24. toast — bread

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