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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. snap — to click
  7. can — a tin
  8. last — final
  9. can — to be able to
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. swing — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. swing — to play on
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. march — the month
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. can — a tin
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. swing — in golf
  24. saw — the tool

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