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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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. scale — in music
  5. spell — magic
  6. kid — child
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spell — letters
  13. tube — a container
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lash — to lash out

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