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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. object — a thing
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. capital — a city
  6. object — to protest
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. snap — to click
  10. object — an aim
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. net — in sport
  14. game — wild animals
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. net — after costs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. capital — money
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — an injury
  24. foot — a measure

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