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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rest — a break
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. court — of law
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. snap — to click
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rest — what's left
  11. band — a ring
  12. mate — a partner
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. band — a music group
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. file — a tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. file — a document
  23. bear — the animal
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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