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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mate — to breed
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mate — a friend
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. band — a ring
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a music group
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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