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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. shower — rain
  6. tube — a container
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. present — there
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — the underground
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. shower — to wash
  19. snap — to click
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. present — the time now
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. present — a gift
  24. hide — to keep secret

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