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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. track — a song
  3. can — to be able to
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. march — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. track — to keep track
  11. squash — the sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. can — a tin
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — in football
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. march — the month
  24. track — a path

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