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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. season — in sport
  8. pound — a weight
  9. last — final
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rest — a break
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. snap — to click
  19. last — finally
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — of the year
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rest — what's left
  24. last — to go on

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