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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. scale — in music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rash — a series
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. straw — a straw man

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