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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.

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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: chip · pit · mate · straw · rest · spell · lash · land

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. spell — magic
  4. rest — a break
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mate — a partner
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chip — to eat
  13. land — ground
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. land — to come down
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. land — a country

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