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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. file — a document
  3. bank — for money
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. file — a line of people
  7. court — of law
  8. bore — to tire
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a tool
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bore — to drill
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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