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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. snap — to click
  3. present — there
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. present — a gift
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. present — the time now
  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