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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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. bat — the animal
  3. mug — to rob
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. ball — a great time
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a dance
  10. clip — a video
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. charge — a price
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mug — a face
  21. charge — in control
  22. snap — to click
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — to cut

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