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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rest — a break
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — for catching
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. net — after costs
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. club — for golf
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. club — for dancing
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. club — a group
  24. net — in sport

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