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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: straw · wind · object · lash · rule · capital · roll · mark

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — a law
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. roll — a cake
  10. object — an aim
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. capital — money
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. object — a thing
  16. mark — a grade
  17. object — to protest
  18. capital — a city
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wind — moving air
  21. roll — a list
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rule — government
  24. straw — a straw man

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