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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · face · squash · rule · straw · safe · arm · can

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. face — to point toward
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. squash — to crush
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rule — a law
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rule — government
  20. can — a tin
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. squash — the sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — dry grass

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