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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. chest — a box
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. can — a tin
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wake — a trail
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. kid — child
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. board — a committee
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. board — to get on

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