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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chest — of your body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. snap — to click
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — a position
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. chest — a box
  24. lash — to lash out

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