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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. net — for catching
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — hasty
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — a series
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. net — after costs
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pound — a weight
  24. net — in sport

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