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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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468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rule — a law
  4. kid — to tease
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. current — happening now
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. season — in sport
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. snap — to click
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rule — government
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. row — a line
  17. toast — bread
  18. season — of the year
  19. kid — child
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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