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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. last — final
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chest — a box
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. craft — boats
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chest — of your body
  16. last — finally
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. last — to go on
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pound — a weight
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. craft — a skill
  23. snap — to click
  24. mine — for digging

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