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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pop — to visit
  3. file — a tool
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. ball — a dance
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cap — a lid
  13. file — a document
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. snap — to click
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a line of people
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ball — a great time
  24. temple — a place of worship

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