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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 124 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. march — the month
  11. bulb — for light
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. toast — bread
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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