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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bound — tied together
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. snap — to click
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bound — obliged
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mug — a face
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. key — in music
  24. bound — certain

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