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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bass — the fish
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. lean — thin
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. snap — to click
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bass — low music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. craft — a skill
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — child
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. kid — to tease
  24. foot — part of the body

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