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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. face — to confront
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bulb — for light
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. snap — to click
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bulb — for light
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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