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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. snap — to click
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rule — government
  11. spell — letters
  12. cap — of ice
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rule — a law
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lash — an eyelash

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