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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. swing — to play on
  5. charge — in control
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. charge — a price
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bat — the animal
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. charge — electricity
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. snap — to click

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