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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. club — a group
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. club — for golf
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. current — of water
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. club — for dancing
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — electric
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. current — happening now
  23. snap — to click
  24. staff — employees

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