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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to click
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. can — a tin
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rule — government
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rule — a law
  24. can — a tin

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