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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. march — the month
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. season — in sport
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pop — soda
  13. snap — to click
  14. pop — music
  15. season — of the year
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. root — the cause
  22. pop — to visit
  23. march — music
  24. root — of a word

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