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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chip — for betting
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fall — the season
  17. ball — a dance
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chip — to eat
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wound — an injury

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