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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. toast — bread
  14. perch — the fish
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. snap — to click
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. kid — child
  24. jam — in traffic

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