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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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. kid — to tease
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to click
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. kid — child
  16. march — music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — rain
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. march — the month
  24. bear — to put up with

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