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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ground — a position
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — to come down
  13. ground — crushed
  14. snap — to click
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rest — a break
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cell — in biology
  21. land — ground
  22. cell — a phone
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mark — a grade

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