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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bound — obliged
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bound — tied together
  15. snap — to click
  16. bound — certain
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. face — part of the head
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. face — to confront
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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