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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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 don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mug — to rob
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rush — hurry
  10. snap — to click
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. spell — magic
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — letters
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. spell — a short time
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mug — a face
  24. kick — a thrill

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