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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. staff — employees
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. swing — music
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. staff — a stick
  17. object — an aim
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rule — a law
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rule — government
  22. swing — in golf
  23. plane — a tool
  24. staff — employees

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