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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: snap · kick · toast · mark · patient · cap · date · lash

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. toast — bread
  7. kick — in football
  8. mark — a grade
  9. date — the fruit
  10. snap — to click
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mark — a trace
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cap — a lid
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. toast — the most admired

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