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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. cell — a phone
  6. spring — the season
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spring — of water
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cell — in biology
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. can — a tin
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spring — a coil

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