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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. row — a line
  8. charge — in control
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. band — a ring
  12. chair — a leader
  13. snap — to click
  14. charge — electricity
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. charge — a price
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. band — a music group
  20. bear — the animal
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bear — the 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