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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bass — low music
  5. march — the month
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. march — the month
  9. mug — a cup
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to click
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a face
  23. bulb — for light
  24. march — music

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