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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.

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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — a lid
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spell — letters
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cap — of ice
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. craft — boats
  15. club — for dancing
  16. craft — a skill
  17. snap — to click
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spell — magic
  20. wind — moving air
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. club — a group
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. club — for golf

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