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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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. ball — a round shape
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to sink
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ball — a great time
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. snap — to click
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ball — a dance
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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