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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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. land — ground
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. land — a country
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — to come down
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. dip — to sink
  16. current — of water
  17. fork — in a road
  18. current — electric
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. snap — to click
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. current — happening now
  24. board — to get on

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