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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. snap — to click
  3. swing — music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fork — in a road
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fall — the season
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fall — to drop
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fork — a garden tool

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