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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. snap — to click
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bass — low music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cold — not warm
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. present — the time now
  15. bear — the animal
  16. present — there
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. present — a gift
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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