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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · calf · pass · pop · lash · dip · object · snap

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. snap — to click
  5. pop — soda
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. object — to protest
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pop — to visit
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pop — music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. object — an aim
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. object — a thing
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pass — a permit

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