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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. swing — in golf
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. snap — to click
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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