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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stock — shares
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rush — hurry
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chest — a box
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. clip — to cut
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stock — goods
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chest — of your body

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