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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. hand — in cards
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. season — in sport
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fall — the season
  18. season — of the year
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. season — to add flavour

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