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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cell — a phone
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cell — in biology
  11. hand — help
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. tube — a container
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. snap — to click
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. hand — in cards
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. tube — the underground

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