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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. craft — boats
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rest — a break
  6. pop — soda
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. march — the month
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kick — in football
  11. march — music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pop — music
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. craft — a skill

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