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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — clever
  7. snap — to click
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rash — a series
  10. mug — a cup
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mug — a face
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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