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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. snap — to click
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rash — a series
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chair — a professorship

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