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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — finally
  3. staff — employees
  4. pop — to visit
  5. staff — employees
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pop — music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. plane — a tool
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. snap — to click
  21. pop — soda
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. capital — money

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