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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cap — a hat
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cap — a lid
  9. snap — to click
  10. cap — of ice
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. scale — in music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. club — for dancing
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. kick — in football
  18. scale — size or range
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. club — for golf
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — happy

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