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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rule — a law
  3. mug — a face
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. swing — music
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rule — government
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spring — the season
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spring — of water
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — to rob

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