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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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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: straw · march · stand · sharp · bat · band · lash · mug

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. march — the month
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. march — music
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. band — a music group
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mug — a face
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. band — a ring
  24. sharp — clever

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