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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. track — a song
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cap — a hat
  14. track — a path
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cap — a lid
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. perch — the fish
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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