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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chip — for betting
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. tube — a container
  6. field — for sport
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. swing — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. field — a subject
  15. swing — in golf
  16. can — a tin
  17. swing — to play on
  18. can — to be able to
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bear — the animal
  21. snap — to click
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. field — farmland

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