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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: bay · lash · hide · snap · saw · chip · kid · chest

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. snap — to click
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. chest — a box
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kid — child
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. hide — to keep secret

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