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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mug — a face
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pop — soda
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wake — a trail
  20. snap — to click
  21. bear — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mug — to rob

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