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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. snap — to click
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — a coil
  6. firm — steady
  7. spring — of water
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. date — the fruit
  10. track — a song
  11. chest — a box
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. firm — decided
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chest — of your body
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. firm — a company
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spring — the season
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. track — a path

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