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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bass — low music
  4. snap — to click
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chest — a box
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chair — a leader

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