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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — what's left
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. firm — decided
  7. bank — of a river
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rest — a break
  10. firm — a company
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. firm — steady
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bank — for money
  16. degree — an amount
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bank — for money
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rest — what's left
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. degree — from a university

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