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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 116 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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. content — happy
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wake — a trail
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rush — hurry
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. content — the amount
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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