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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: arm · pit · saw · straw · squash · lash · mate · rest

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mate — a friend
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rest — a break
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rest — what's left
  16. squash — to crush
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pit — in a race
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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