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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rule — government
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rule — a law
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. object — an aim
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. swing — in golf
  23. snap — to click
  24. object — a thing

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