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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. snap — to click
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. race — humankind
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. race — a contest
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pit — a hole
  12. root — of a word
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pit — in a race
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. root — the cause
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. race — the arms race
  21. root — of a plant
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. foot — part of the body

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