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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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Word bank
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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: sharp · straw · pass · deal · cold · bear · row · lash

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bear — the animal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — a line
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pass — a permit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lash — an eyelash

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