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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. board — a committee
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. snap — to click
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. shower — rain
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. board — to get on

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