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

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. snap — to click
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. current — of water
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. current — electric
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. shower — rain
  18. current — happening now
  19. pound — a weight
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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