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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: calf · lash · date · rule · tear · rock · pit · straw

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pit — in a race
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rock — music
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. date — the fruit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. calf — a young animal

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