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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. court — for sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. staff — employees
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. court — of a king
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. staff — employees
  24. court — of law

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