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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: foot · lie · cold · snap · clip · rash · bowl · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. clip — a video
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rash — a series
  15. clip — to cut
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. snap — to click
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rash — hasty

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