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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bound — certain
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. snap — to click
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bass — the fish
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bat — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bass — low music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. charge — in control
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. charge — a price

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