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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. capital — a city
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. chair — a leader
  23. capital — money
  24. pit — in a race

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