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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. present — the time now
  6. net — for catching
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. present — there
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chest — a box
  12. present — a gift
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. face — to confront
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cabinet — ministers

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