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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. march — the month
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. face — to confront
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. face — to point toward
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — part of the head

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