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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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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. march — the month
  7. chair — a leader
  8. net — for catching
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. squash — the sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. snap — to click
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. kid — to tease
  19. net — in sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. kid — child
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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