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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. snap — to click
  8. date — the fruit
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. kick — in football
  13. rash — hasty
  14. net — for catching
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rash — a series
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — in sport

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