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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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. mug — a face
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. content — the amount
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mug — a cup
  13. hand — help
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mug — to rob
  17. snap — to click
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pound — to hit hard

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