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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cap — of ice
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cap — a lid
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. snap — to click
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fine — high quality
  20. hand — help
  21. rash — a series
  22. fine — all right
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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