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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rest — a break
  3. net — after costs
  4. bear — the animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rush — hurry
  8. snap — to click
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rest — what's left
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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