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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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. snap — to snap out of it
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. snap — to click
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — wild animals
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hand — help
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rest — a break
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pit — in a race
  21. game — a match
  22. hand — in cards
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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